When a vehicle needs to be fixed in place, usually, a triangle-shaped apparatus is set in front and in back of the vehicle's wheel. Sometimes a chain is used to connect the vehicle to the floor of the pallet. Also, when a vehicle is loaded onto a parking area, an uneven or friction device is sometimes used to hold the vehicle on the pallet. For example, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 146684/94 discloses adhering the bumper to the pallet.
Usually, when the vehicle needs to be fixed-in place, the general form of transporting or shipping the vehicle involves a train system or piggyback system.
Now, the usual style of fixing an automobile is slow and cumbersome, using the triangle block and chain with a turn buckle. Each apparatus must be set individually. In order to minimize this clumsy manual operation within the piggyback system, a car rack is used.
In multiple level parking garages, we see a vast difference in degrees of automobile security. The current method for securing an automobile on a parking pallet is basically a hand brake or emergency brake within the automobile. The level of safety, therefore, depends upon the strength and effectiveness of each automobile's brake system.
The Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 59270/91 proposes the installation of an indented area, for the lower part of the tire, on a pallet in a garage parking system. In this case, the proposed system may be able to fix the tire only for slow moving pallets. However, there are inevitable problems within this proposed system because these indentions do not guarantee tightness while fixing tire.
Actually, the only fixing force comes from the friction between the tire and the indented area in the pallet floor. The tire is stopped only by the vehicle's brake. This proposed system only functions when the pallet moves slowly in a negligible acceleration or deceleration. For example, in the parking system, the pallet moves less than 10 Km/Hr. If the pallet moves faster, the system gains a higher acceleration or deceleration rate. The friction between the tire and the surface of the floor of the pallet becomes insufficient to hold the tire and vehicle. In a high speed scenario, the automobile may easily come free of the pallet.
To solve the above problems, a new method was introduced. The proposed Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 193733/90 system incorporates a harness which is attached to the wheel. This apparatus is connected to a harness web and is attached over the wheel. Basically, in this method, a harness web wraps around the rail wheel which harness web is fixed to the wheel fixing body on the rail. Also, because the mechanism of the wheel fixing is complicated, this method is not a good method except for the railroad system in the United States of America. The whole procedure must start with fixing the wheel fixing body on the rail road. Thus, the process and mechanisms are complicated, cumbersome and time consuming.
Also, as to the method of fixing the automobile utilizing its bumper as it is seen in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 146648/94, the apparatus required to perform such fixing becomes large in size. As a result, the pallet's thickness becomes thicker. According to the above proposed method, in order to store the pallet/vehicle or the apparatus, which is defined as the stopper for moving in the above Japanese Patent Provisional Publication, a large space is needed. Consequently, the equipment and labor cost become higher.
In the case of fixing the automobile to the floor of an automobile cargo ship, the ship shakes up and down, right and left. Thus, the automobile needs to be tied by rope or chain. In such case, each automobile needs to be tied by hand. Therefore, the labor cost becomes higher.
In the case of a transportation system where the pallet/vehicle carries the automobile being transported, the thickness of the pallet/vehicle is an important issue. If the thickness becomes thicker due to the fixing apparatus, the total handling cost of the transportation becomes high. Because the thicker thickness of the pallet/vehicle, the more storing space is required. This problem causes requirement of more stock yard storage for the pallet/vehicle in the transportation system. According to the proposed method, because the anchor protrudes from the floor, over-layering of the pallet/vehicles becomes difficult to do. Even if over-layer is possible, it becomes unstable.
Furthermore, the usual fixing methods, such as utilizing a chain and turn-buckle, are not easy to use because each automobile may require a different position of the hook. Therefore, in order to accommodate each automobile's need, the operation is handled manually. This means that any mechanization or automation of this procedure is difficult.
Because of this problem, the fixing procedure is completed by manual and consumes heavy labor cost.
Usual fixing methods, such as utilizing chain and turn-buckle, are difficult fixing work because the chain or turn-buckle can be stored in the floor of the fixing side. When the automobile is fixed, these fixing apparatus need to be untangled and arranged properly.
In the case of a piggy back carrying system, the automobile is carried on the cargo train and it is fixed manually. Also, when the automobile is loaded onto the carrier on the cargo train, the driver needs to pay special attention because the clearance height of the cargo is significant. This causes loading to take a long time. Thus, at the point the traveling (driving) mode changes, traffic becomes congested.
Moreover, in case of carrying automobiles by the pallet, usually no drivers or passengers are allowed to ride on it. Therefore, so far the issue of traveling comfort has not been critical, even when the automobile is fixed by the anchored chain or turn buckle. When the automobile is not fixed by its wheels, the automobile's body must be tied firmly. Thus, the suspension of the automobile is sacrificed and this causes an uncomfortable ride. Also, the distance of the tying length is verified by shaking the traveling pallet, which may cause the tension of the tie to be loosened.
This invention is made to solve the problems described above. Even though the automobile carrying and fixing side (such as pallet or vehicle, cargo ship floor and piggy back cargo train floor) moves too quickly, this invention is able to provide the system which fixes an automobile firmly. Also, the thickness of the apparatus remains thin, so that the apparatus is easy to store. The apparatus is simple and allows prompt fixing, and an automated procedure. This invention provides such a fixing apparatus and method of fixing.
In addition, this invention provides an automated wheel fixing apparatus through the application of the wheel fixing apparatus and the fixing method of this invention. Also, the invention provides a mode interchange in which an automobile can change its traveling (driving) mode by fixing or unfixing the automobile to a pallet/vehicle automatically.